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Control of mitochondrial Superoxidedismutase expression in rat Hepatocarcinoma: a model of oncosuppressor gene regulation.
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Variation of MnSOD in rat experimental tumors detected by western blot analysis with a new monoclonal antibody.
No full textThe role of human chorionic gonadotropin as tumor marker: Biochemical and clinical aspects
No full textTumor markers are biological substances that are produced/released mainly by malignant tumor cells, enter the circulation in detectable amounts and are potential indicators of the presence of a tumor. The most useful biochemical markers are the tumor-specific molecules, i.e., receptors, enzymes, hormones, growth factors or biological response modifiers that are specifically produced by tumor cells and not, or minimally, by the normal counterpart (Richard et al. Principles and practice of gynecologic oncology. Wolters Kluwer Health, Philadelphia, 2009). Based on their specificity and sensitivity in each malignancy, biomarkers are used for screening, diagnosis, disease monitoring and therapeutic response assessment in clinical management of cancer patients.This chapter is focused on human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone with a variety of functions and widely used as a tumor biomarker in selected tumors. Indeed, hCG is expressed by both trophoblastic and non-trophoblastic human malignancies and plays a role in cell transformation, angiogenesis, metastatization, and immune escape, all process central to cancer progression. Of note, hCG testing is crucial for the clinical management of placental trophoblastic malignancies and germ cell tumors of the testis and the ovary. Furthermore, the production of hCG by tumor cells is accompanied by varying degrees of release of the free subunits into the circulation, and this is relevant for the management of cancer patients (Triozzi PL, Stevens VC, Oncol Rep 6(1):7-17, 1999).The name chorionic gonadotropin was conceived: chorion derives from the latin chordate meaning afterbirth, gonadotropin indicates that the hormone is a gonadotropic molecule, acting on the ovaries and promoting steroid production (Cole LA, Int J Endocrinol Metab 9(2):335-352, 2011). The function, the mechanism of action and the interaction between hCG and its receptor continue to be the subject of intensive investigation, even though many issues about hCG have been well documented (Tegoni M et al., J Mol Biol 289(5):1375-1385, 1999)
Editorial Insulin-resistant conditions: A favorable milieu for aggressive drug-resistant malignancies
No full textEpidemiological studies suggest that the risk of several solid and haematological malignancies (i.e., pancreas, liver, breast and colorectal carcinomas, male and female genitourinary neoplasms and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas) is increased in insulin-resistant diabetic patients with a prevalence that is estimated to be 8-18%. However, the correct assessment of this increased risk needs to take in account a series of potential confounding factors, as conditions associated with insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia (i.e., physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes treatment types and high-saturated-fat diet), which are also independent risk factors for cancer. Furthermore, insulin-resistant diabetic cancer patients are characterized by a worst outcome compared to non-diabetic cancer patients and this depends on an increased cancer-site specif ic mortality, which reache
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